Opportunities
by boffinness
Summary: PruAus. PruAus Week Day 2 prompt, which included dancing, duelling, and a historical figure! I hope you enjoy!


As he lead his partner up the stairs, they could already hear the musicians tuning their instruments, smell the cooked delicacies spread on the side tables, see the nobles flocking to the heat of the manor, like moths to a flame. With his hand holding the other's as if it were made of fine China, they gracefully stepped into the middle of the dance floor, poised and ready, with hands clasped, backs straight, and heads held high.

As the couple in the middle of the room waited for the instrumentalists to begin, he watched them. His friends. While he was with the concert, his friends were dancing together.

Oh well, he had a song to play. As the conductor raised his baton, he raised his instrument. Chopin. It was a good fit.

The music rang throughout the room, and the couple stepped in time, the man leading the woman and the woman flawlessly following his lead. He looked away from them, as the music swelled and more couples joined them on the ballroom floor. Dancers twirling, music playing, others mingling and laughing all while crystal chandeliers watched from fourty feet above them. It reminded him of a better time...

"My dear boy, come here for a moment." The man sat beside the other, wondering what this was all about, "I told you I can handle myself already, I'm not a boy anymore."

The older one smiled, and laughed a bit. "In a war, yes, you're the best I could have ever hoped for. But there was something else I wanted to tell you. Gilbert Beilschmidt," Old Fritz put a hand on the albino's shoulder and softened his expression, "In war, I've told you to always seize an opportunity."

Gil nodded, "And it hasn't failed me yet."

"Yes, but I think I must remind you of it. Because all is fair in love and war."

At first, Gilbert didn't really know what Old Fritz had meant by that, but he cherished the memory and the advice all the same. Now, as the dancers started waltzing along with the next piece, he understood what his late mentor had meant.

"Hey, what are you doing?" The conductor turned to look at the albino as he set his flute down, "We're in the middle of a song!"

"Yeah well, I'm not." And with that, he stepped out of the mass of instrumentalists, stands, and past the dumbstruck conductor, and walked through the dancers to try and find his friends.

Roderich had just finished twirling a giggling Elizabeta and was about to dip her, "Roddy, you better stop spinning me so much, I'm getting quite dizzy!" Except he had paused in the dip for an extra half-second too long, and as he slowly brought her back up, he stopped in his tracks to look just past the brunette in his arms.

"Rod?" Elizabeta turned around to see their friend, Gilbert Beilschmidt, standing there, staring at them. "Can I help you Gilbert?"

Gilbert snapped out of his trance at that, putting one hand up to his chin and tilting his head as if he was wondering how he should make them pose. "Actually, yes Elizabeta, I would love some help. You see, Something hasn't looked right ever since I saw you two walk in tonight, and I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. May I?" He took Elizabeta's hand like he was asking her to dance.

She looked at Roderich, who looked back at her, and as she smiled and said, "Of course, Gilbert," Gilbert calmly and casually proceeded to shove her into another couple dancing and steal Roderich away, dancing with the beat of the Chopin - without a flute.

"Much better." Gilbert smiled as they somehow made it to the centre of the dance floor, "I didn't think I'd have to fight for you, Roddy."

Roderich squinted as they stepped on each other's toes, "You never did, although you will have a bit of a problem to deal with after this dance."

"I knew that already. Roddy, if you're trying to lead this waltz, it's not going to happen."

"Gilbert, I am the one leading this dance, back down."

"Well, Old Fritz said to always seize... why aren't you twirling?" The couple stopped dancing as Gilbert tried to get Roderich to twirl under his arm. Roderich stood as still as a statue as he replied, "Don't seize the opportunity with the consequences that you can't handle Gilbert, because you do not want to see me angry."

Instead, Roderich positioned himself so that Gilbert would be the one to twirl. "Be my guest, Gilbert."

After a long pause with a stare down, the Prussian sighed, and twirled under Roderich's arm - and by twirled I mean Gilbert slowly walked around in a circle while ducking underneath the shorter one's arm.

"Happy?"

Roderich smiled. "Very."


End file.
